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# prescribe

«prescribe» in Mova's school dictionary: **When a doctor prescribes a medicine, they say officially…** — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples, with 4 sentences of Mova's corpora that use it.

### part of speech

verb (prescribe, prescribes, prescribed, prescribing)

### meaning for a pupil

1) When a doctor prescribes a medicine, they say officially which medicine you should take, how much and how often. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/prescribe/#m1)

2) (formal) To say officially what must be done; to set a rule: The rules prescribe a uniform. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/prescribe/#m2)

### sense in the lessons

In health and safety lessons only a doctor can prescribe certain medicines, and you must never take medicine prescribed for someone else. In maths problems a doctor prescribes «2 tablets, 3 times a day for 5 days» — multiply: 2 × 3 × 5 = 30 tablets. In formal exam or rule language, «the prescribed method» means the method you are told to use. Phrases: «prescribe medicine», «prescribed dose», «as prescribed», «prescribed by law».

### examples

- The doctor prescribed some cream for my rash. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/prescribe/#x1)
- Take the medicine exactly as prescribed. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/prescribe/#x2)
- She was prescribed 2 tablets a day for 7 days — how many tablets is that? [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/prescribe/#x3)
- Never take medicine prescribed for someone else. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/prescribe/#x4)
- The vet prescribed drops for the cat's eyes. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/prescribe/#x5)
- The rules prescribe a time limit of one hour. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/prescribe/#x6)
- Use the prescribed method to solve the equation. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/prescribe/#x7)
- The doctor prescribed rest and plenty of water. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/prescribe/#x8)
- A Fox asked him, “How can you pretend to prescribe for others, when you are unable to heal your own lame gait and wrinkled skin?” [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/prescribe/#x9)

### note

Regular verb: prescribed. Noun: prescription (the paper or order). Trap: prescribe (a doctor orders) vs proscribe (to forbid) — almost opposite. In dose problems: total = dose × times per day × number of days.

### In the corpora

- [Medicine prescribed for one person is only for that person.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/adult-life/20-the-doctor-and-the-chemist/13/)
- [Medicine prescribed for one person is chosen for their illness, age, weight and other medicines, so never take someone else's.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/medicine/18-the-right-dose-and-never-more-than/8/)
- [Then said I: 'Lo, I am come with the roll of a book which is prescribed for me;](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/ketuvim/jps/PSA.662/)
- [And prescribed for it My decree, and set bars and doors,](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/ketuvim/jps/JOB.1011/)

### Trees and pragmatics

[Every meaning and example of «prescribe» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/prescribe/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.